


Lazarus Renascence

by pearconfident



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:15:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23426113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearconfident/pseuds/pearconfident
Summary: She's spent two years of her life devoted to this task, and now she's achieved it she can't help but wonder what has she done? Some questions aren't meant to be answered, some rules aren't meant to be broken, and some people aren't meant to be saved. How will she cope with the consequences of her actions?
Relationships: Sirius Black/Hermione Granger
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! 
> 
> I originally posted this fic as a short story, unsure if I'd ever get back to it. But I loved the idea so much that I've committed to turning this story into a 50k or more multi-chapter fic during NaNoWriMo this year. I've only just started, and I know that this is my first draft, so that it won't be perfect. But instead of hoarding all my work and not sharing it, I thought, why not share and let all of you give me your feedback as I develop this story.
> 
> I hope you all like it and give me your honest feedback. But please remember, this is just a hobby and a first-draft so I won't be perfect.

Hermione strode out of the large fireplace in a roar of green fire, papers protruding from all angles out of her side bag. She was frazzled, walking fast, but eyes not paying attention to the people rushing around her. The words of her friends were ringing in her ears, though she tried to ignore them.

_ Take a break, Hermione.  _

_ You're going to work yourself to death! _

_ You basically live at the ministry these days. _

She knew they were right, but her job had her captivated, unlike any challenge she'd ever faced. Hermione had gone back to Hogwarts after the war, finished her education, unlike Ron and Harry, who went straight to work as Aurors. By the time she'd graduated, Kingsley was Minister for Magic, and he helped her become an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries.

It was exhilarating, despite having Lucius Malfoy as a boss. Ron had pitched a fit when he found out; he thought the idea of her having to report to that  _ long-haired git _ was outrageous and should be illegal. But Hermione didn't mind him all that much; to be honest, he let her conduct her research independently and in relative peace. She'd been rotating between other Unspeakables and their research, trying to get a feel for her next project. Today she finally awoke with a spark of inspiration, hence her hurried pace through the Ministry entry hall.

Since fifth year she'd never forgotten about that veil buried deep within the ministry, the one that Sirius Black disappeared into. It was as if the memory was seared into her brain, branded by the emotions of that terrible night. Her feelings for Sirius were confusing, she was 16, and she saw him  _ die _ . He was the first person she saw die; she didn't count Cedric because she only saw his body after the fact. It felt as if every night that lifeless grey veil fluttered before her vision, though she couldn't remember seeing it on the night. After all of the deaths she witnessed during the war, the veil appeared one night in her dreams and never left.

Something about it called to her, and Hermione was determined to investigate it; she knew the room wasn't being used for anything. People were too scared of it, and the older Unspeakables were bored by it, so no one would care to bother her there.

She was hungover from a girl's night out with Ginny, Angelina, and Luna, but her coffee was charmed to stay just hot enough, and maybe that would be enough to stave off the hangover she'd inevitably crash into later today.

"Miss Granger." The aristocratic drawl echoed off the Department of Mysteries' black tile walls, and she knew who it was in an instant.

"Malfoy," She tried not to grumble, but the growing headache didn't help her typically sour morning mood. He raised his eyebrow while she greedily and inelegantly slurped down her coffee.

"You look particularly  _ frazzled _ ," His eyebrow stayed arched while he cast another appraising look at her, "Need I be concerned?"

"Not at all," She was unable to hide her excitement now, "I think I may have finally decided on the topic of my research."

"Ah, how intriguing."

"The archway-"She barely got the words out before his harsh chuckle cut her off.

"Many  _ new _ Unspeakables have wasted their first few months on that arch; nothing has ever come from it before."

"Well," She could feel her back straighten at his inadvertent challenge, "I think I may be able to produce some results. I just need to do some general research first to determine the validity of it all."

"I look forward to seeing what you  _ produce _ Granger." With that, he strode off, leaving Hermione unsure of whether he was rooting for her or against her.

She didn't stay to think on it long; she quickly resumed her path to the arch room with renewed vigor. Hermione Granger didn't like being told she couldn't do something, and while a small part of her was worried about potentially failing miserably, most of her was ready to prove everyone wrong.

Sixteen hours later, she questioned her sanity but was still unable to break away from her mock lab in the arch room. The platform the arch was situated on was rocky and uneven, but she'd managed to balance an old table as best she could beside the eerie fixture. Her notes and books were haphazardly stacked upon the wooden surface, a confusing mess of information she'd been collecting and organizing all day and night.

Hermione was referencing past Unspeakables work regarding the archway, and there was a lot to sift through. Some were easy to eliminate as complete rubbish; Unspeakable Pench thought the arch was a portal to another realm; he disappeared into it in 1876 and was never seen again. Unspeakable Halloway tripped off the large stone platform and broke her neck while trying to prove that repeated attacks on the archway would produce a weakness; no one has attempted to continue her experiment independently. Hermione's favorite had to be Unspeakable Messery, who spent 12 years  _ talking _ to the veil in the hopes of befriending it; some say that she really did. Others think she was just a loon. 

She could see why Lucius laughed at the thought of her continuing this legacy of shoddy, slightly off-kilter kind of research. But Hermione couldn't deny that something about the archway drew people in, and it had to be logically explained. She couldn't go on living with this thing in the shadows of her dreams if she didn't at least try to understand  _ why _ .

"Charms, maybe that could lead to something…" The sound startled her before she realized she was muttering to herself. Hermione had been up for far too long and knew she needed to crawl into bed before she passed out right here.

She stood from her chair and turned to walk away from her desk when a jagged edge of the rockface snagged the heel of her shoe. Her arms flailed as she tried to regain her balance, her fingers grasping for her desk, but it rapidly fell away from her. It felt as if she was falling in slow motion, and she blamed the exhaustion for that. Though everything sped up once, she had the icy realization that she would fall right by the archway, and she had no time or way to stop it.

When her body roughly hit the stone, she thought she'd be dead a second later. The air was knocked out of her, and there was nothing she could do but struggle to breathe for the first few moments. But when she finally blinked back the tears in her eyes, she noticed how her arm wasn't touching the veil-like it should've been. In fact, the veil itself had moved completely out of her way, as if pushed by a silent gust of wind.

Hermione immediately thought of Unspeakable Messery; maybe the old witch hadn't been so crazy after all. If the veil was a  _ being _ rather than a  _ thing _ , then the magical rules which governed it would be completely different.

McGonagall's voice rang through her head, explaining the basic magic principles in her first year at Hogwarts.

" _ You cannot create food with magic… Death and magic do not mix; no spell can raise the dead, for a good reason…" _

If the veil was so vastly different from what she expected, it would warrant her going back to the basics of magic to get better foundational research. Her brain was buzzing, and despite her sore, tired eyes, she was ready to start researching more. As if working on its own, her brain had already begun compiling lists of books and theories to grab from her personal library and the Ministry library in the morning to begin her research.

Hermione had no idea where this would take her, though her thoughts wandered back to Sirius every time she saw the arch. It was like watching him be pulled into that veil every time she blinked, a photo negative horror show mirroring the calm world in front of her.

She'd learned her lesson from watching the Death Eaters and Voldemort play with magic and death; nothing good came of it. She couldn't let herself entertain the idea of doing this for Sirius; her heart hurt too much remembering his laugh, for her to permit herself to walk such a dangerous line. Even now, at age 26, she wasn't sure she could handle the responsibility of having to make such a difficult ethical and moral decision.

As she walked out of the Department of Mysteries and made her way back to the floo point, she couldn't help but let her mind wander back to her fifth year. The summer she spent giggling with Ginny whenever Sirius looked their way, sneaking his fire whiskey when he'd go to bed, eavesdropping on Order meetings with Fred and George. Things were so simple and yet so complicated back then, but they all had each other to dull the pain at least that summer.

Maybe that's why it hurt so much more to lose Sirius; it was like losing him twice. She'd become so accustomed to having him around that summer, and then he was gone when she went back to school. She couldn't even write him letters, not that she would've known what to say if she'd been allowed to write him. Then, the first time she'd seen him since Christmas, is watching Bellatrix hit him with some vile curse and the veil wrap around him like a shroud pulling him away from Harry.

He was still on her mind as she slipped between her sheets, and despite trying everything, she couldn't banish the sight of him from the back of her eyelids. But he wasn't dying anymore; she just remembered the way he looked when he smiled and laughed, the way he looked when he'd wink at her and Ginny over dinner to get them to giggle. Hermione's bed was cold, and she felt lonely, and the sight of Sirius Black in her mind was a small comfort that helped lull her into desperately needed sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone new, or returning to this story here are some announcements!
> 
> This story is a very rough draft, that I am editing for grammar before posting. But that's it, so there may be other issues I don't catch. This is my project for NaNoWriMo 2020 so I am very excited to get some feedback as I progress with the story. Thanks for reading! And I look forward to reading your comments and advice :)

Two years seemed like it passed in an instant and dragged on for eternity. Hermione hadn't planned on spending two years of her life completely engulfed in her work; she thought she'd quickly find an answer to her research. But instead, she spent two years almost delirious from lack of sleep and even more alone than she thought possible. Hermione hadn't meant to become so obsessive, so one-track minded, but she couldn't ignore what had happened on her first day with the veil. If it were alive, the possibilities for working  _ with  _ the veil would be endless; the potential answers she could find were more addictive than any drug. She just wanted to know what was beyond that opaque veil, what had truly happened to Sirius when he fell. It was a childish, obsessive, and altogether unhealthy project, but she couldn't leave it unfinished.

"You don't have to avoid every Sunday dinner just because of Ronald," Ginny's voice pulled Hermione from her thoughts on work. She wouldn't admit it, but for a few moments, she forgot she was having tea with her friend; her mind had such tunnel vision on her project that sometimes the world just fell away.

"I know, Gin," Hermione groaned; all of the Weasleys wanted her back around the Burrow regardless of how she felt about it.

"Mom is really worried about you," Her friend responded with an appraising glance, "And I can't really blame her for being worried."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione bit back with a frown; she wasn't unaware that she looked worse for wear due to all her time at the Ministry, "Work has just been busy lately."

"You look almost dead, Hermione!" Ginny was heated now, her tea pushed away and forgotten on the table, "No job is worth all of this! You look almost as bad as you did after the war."

"Back off, Ginny." Hermione's voice was hard and cold now; she was sick of everyone's constant concern and prying.

Even if she could tell them about her research, she wouldn't. They wouldn't understand; they never could. They were like a second family to her, but they viewed the world in black and white. With her work cemented in a world of grey, she knew that she was growing apart from them. It hurt to think about, but since her start in the Department of Mysteries, she'd been growing away from them all.

"Hermione-"

"Ginny, no. I understand you are concerned; you all are." Hermione set her teacup down roughly, "But I'm an adult woman. I can take care of myself."

"But-"Ginny was still red in the face, and Hermione could see her shoulders straighten as she prepared for her fight. Hermione wanted none of it.

Without so much as a second thought, Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She slipped quickly out of her seat, ignoring Ginny's comments and barbs, before making her way away from the restaurant. As her friends' voice faded into the sounds of the city, Hermione's mind was once again gripped with thoughts on her research. She was quickly engrossed in her analytical thinking, trying desperately not to think about the second family that was slipping through her fingers.

When she returned to the Ministry, she quietly made her way back down to the Department of Mysteries, relishing in the eerie calm of the place. It made her feel safe and insulated, far removed from her disaster of a lunch date. Her hands were still stained with ink from her all-nighter the previous evening, her notes hastily strewn around the veil platform. Hermione picked up her work once again, slipping into it like a comfortable silk dress. It surrounded her and helped her forget about the world. When she was working, life was a movie on fast forward. It only slowed down for her discoveries and advancements, letting her revel in the feeling of accomplishment before being plunged headlong back into a ride she can't stop.

She wasn't sure when she next looked up from her calculations; it could've been an hour or all night. The lack of light in  _ her _ basement was disconcerting at first, but it helped her ignore the clock in her body, telling her to rest. It must've been longer than an hour, much longer, because her eyes were sore a dry. It felt like sand was inside every blink, and she quickly felt the ache of her muscles protesting against her choice of work chair.

Hermione had been so engrossed in crafting her new spell, working out all the kinks in the calculations. She hadn't thought of much else, least of all her own need to sleep. She'd crafted a runic symbol to aide in her magic, as well as two new spells for not only interacting with the archway but using it as a portal of sorts. She wasn't going to go as far as Unspeakable Pench and stroll through the opaque grey veil, but she wondered if she could pull something  _ out _ of it.

Maybe she could get Sirius back. At first, the thought was fleeting, but that tinge of loneliness from earlier fanned it into a flame. She could feel the Weasley's slipping away; sometimes, it felt like they just wanted her to be their same little know it all again, but she wasn't that person anymore. Maybe someone else would understand, maybe  _ Sirius _ would understand. Hermione didn't know why he would, or why she thought bringing him back wasn't anything other than complete madness. Something about him made her feel safe like he'd understand the parts of her that weren't heroine perfect, unlike everyone else.

Her words seemed to float off her parchment, and she was certain she'd reached the hallucination stage of exhaustion. She saw the numbers and the runes; she quickly summoned a piece of chalk, and then she was haphazardly drawing them onto the stone before the archway. Her arms and legs felt half numb and barely aware of her moving them, but the figures appeared before her none the less.

She sat in the center of the circle of symbols she'd drawn, uncaring of the chalk dust covering her pants. Hermione took a deep breath; she was going to do it. She wasn't sure why, and she didn't know if it would work, but she felt like she had to try. Maybe then she could move on, maybe then she could evolve into who she's meant to be. It made no sense, and her mind was swimming alongside her vision. But she didn't stop to think; maybe if she had, then things would've been different.

"I need your help tonight," Hermione spoke, feeling insane for talking to the veil, "I'm going to do it. I'm finally going to try it. Please help me, please." She was basically begging this archway, this  _ thing,  _ for its help. Because despite how delirious she was, she wasn't stupid enough to think she could do this alone. 

She finally stood, trying to stop herself from swaying too much. Hermione pointed her wand at the veil, the archway, and a blue light erupted from it as she spoke the words of her spell.

“ _ Chaleb conpescens murmur bestia” _

She could feel the air around her crackling with energy and knew she needed to keep going. If she had the strength to do this now, she couldn't turn back, not even for a second.

" _ Hominem vocate ad me _ ."

As Hermione spoke the words, she put all her energy into them. Her mind was screaming for Sirius, using everything within her to call him to her. She hoped he would hear her calls, feel her magic, and be drawn back to the portal. Golden light

She extended her hand through the veil, holding her breath as she did. Hermione wasn't sure that she wouldn't just cease to exist the moment her skin touched the grey film, but she didn't. It tried to pull away from her at first but relaxed into her touch. It was cold and wet within the veil, like falling into a cold puddle. Seeing her hand disappear completely into the opaque veil was eerie, but she didn't have time to dwell on all of the minutiae of the experience.

Her heart felt like it stopped when skin touched her hand. It felt like a hand, gripping her, through a cold and wet haze. She could only stand, staring at the veil, with shaky breath for a few moments as she decided to pull  _ whatever _ was touching her through. She hoped it was Sirius, but it could be anyone or  _ anything _ else. She pulled and felt the veil try to tug them back, but it finally gave way. As if it decided to let her have whatever she'd caught, maybe her relationship with the veil had been a benefit to her research after all.

She pulled and prayed and pulled some more. If it was someone else, if it wasn't Sirius, then she wasn't sure what she'd do. She could march whoever it is to Lucius and expect things to be quietly cleaned up. What Hermione was doing is  _ bad _ and considered very dark. She knew it, but that had never stopped her. How could the pursuit of knowledge be good or evil? It made no sense to her; it never had.

Suddenly a dark mass was bowling her over, tumbling out of the archway on top of her. They landed in a heap on the sharp jagged rocks, and Hermione couldn't withhold the curses which fell from her lips as something sharp snagged her ribs. She quickly tried to clamber away from whatever she'd just pulled through the archway, needing to get some space to process what had just happened fully.

Whoever was in front of her was dressed in dark clothes and had a head of shaggy hair, which brought a smile to her face. The man in front of her began to stir, looking around and assessing his surroundings.

"Hermione?" His voice cracked and broke as though it hadn't been used in years.

"Sirius." She couldn't stop the shocked way her words fell from her lips; she couldn't believe it was really him right there in front of her. Not after all this time, not after everything that had happened.

He was looking at her, and  _ through  _ her; at the same time, it unnerved her. Hermione quickly realized she needed to get him out of the Ministry, get him somewhere safe before people began to ask questions.

"What did you do?" He asked her, his eyes still vacant and lifeless. But his words were harsh, both a question and an accusation that made her stop dead in her tracks.

_ What have I done? _

The sharp and tight claws of anxiety began to grip her heart, and she couldn't quite comprehend the consequences of her actions. She saw her panic mirrored back in his eyes, but flashes of the two of them in Azkaban brought her back to reality. Hermione knew they'd surely throw them both in that stone prison if they were found, and that couldn't happen. She needed to get Sirius out of here,  _ now _ .


	3. Chapter 3

She'd done it.

_ Actually,  _ done it.

Sirius was here before her, standing on that rocky platform like it was 1996 again. But he was different, even though his clothes looked the same as they had that day. His eyes were different; they were grey and void like the veil he came through. He was panic and confused, yet she looked at her and through her at the same time.

"Hermione?"

His broken voice kicked her mind back into gear. She had to get him out of the Ministry; no one could know he was here. Thankfully her untraditional work schedule was on her side tonight; there wouldn't be many people around at 2 am. Even in the Department of Mysteries, she was the only one who logged such long and strenuous hours.

"I'll explain everything, Sirius, I promise."

He only nodded back, his eyes vacant once again.

"I need to get you somewhere safe now. Please, trust me."

She grabbed his arm, pulling him down of the platform. He followed after her, blindly letting her pull him out of the room. His shaggy hair was almost unmistakable, but the years since his death were also on their side. Hermione cast a disillusionment charm upon the two of them to be safe, hoping that it would help divert their attention if they did run into anyone. Her often unused office was only a quick walk from the arch room, and they all but ran their together. Their steps echoing too loudly across the marble, it was deafening to Hermione, and her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest.

Finally, her name's shining gold letters came into view; the large black door looming in the distance. She could only sigh in relief as her fingers wrapped around the door handle, finally knowing they were at least semi-hidden once again.

"Hermione." Again, he said only her name staring at her with blank eyes. It chilled her to her core; she hadn't planned on Sirius coming back and not being quite right.

"We need to get out of here, and we can't leave an obvious trail."

It was like a spark lit behind his eyes; her challenge so similar to ones he faced during the war seemed to draw a bit of the old Sirius out again.

"Why?"

"Because you aren't supposed to be alive, Sirius." She tried to say it gently, but there was nothing gentle about what she was saying to him.

He just stared back blankly, which was a better reaction than she expected, honestly. It was obviously a shock, and maybe his silence would be better than him having a full breakdown.

"We need to make sure we don't leave a direct trail," Hermione said slowly, wishing she could give him more time to process, but their situation left them none. "We will have to make a couple stops before-"

"Just do it, Hermione." Sirius' voice was insistent even though he didn't quite understand what she was going on about.

"Okay, okay." She needed to get it together, and she knew that. Hermione needed to think and plan, but it was hard to focus on anything except her pounding heart and Sirius's blank eyes.

"We just need to get out of here; then I can plan," Hermione said, mostly to herself.

She grabbed his hand again, pulling him towards the large fireplace behind her desk. Her floo was monitored, but if she could have them basically side-along floo, a simple confundus charm might be enough to throw off the Ministries tracking. They weren't embroiled in war any longer, and thus their security had been greatly lessened in recent years. 

"Confundus," She muttered harshly, praying to every god she could think of as she flourished her wand that this worked, and they could escape undetected.

They stepped inside the hearth together, though Hermione made sure not to catch his vacant gaze. It made it harder to focus on keeping them hidden and not on how badly she'd messed up. She had an idea of where to go.

"Arlesford!" Hermione cried with a throw of floo powder, and a torrent of green flame engulfed the two.

When they shot out the other side, Hermione was reminded of why she preferred apparition. The soot and heat from the floo system were almost unbearable, and the way they were spat out in a heap on the floor was less than ideal. Both took a few moments of gasps and groans to get themselves up off the floor and straightened out.

"Where are we?"

"An abandoned cottage in Arlesford," Hermione checked out the windows to ensure there was no one around who could've followed them. It was dark, and they were very isolated out here, but she had to be sure.

"How'd you know it was here?" She was glad he was talking more but now really wasn't the time for his questions.

"It doesn't matter, Sirius," spinning around to face him once more. "We need to keep moving."

He just stared back at her, waiting for instructions. It was a tad shocking; the Sirius she remembered from when she was 16 was far more vocal and involved. But now was not the time to fix  _ him _ but instead to cover up  _ her _ mistake.

"Do you feel up to side-along apparition?"

"Hermione-"His tone was uncertain, but she couldn't let him derail everything now.

"I know, Sirius, I know." She tried to assure him, "But there's only one place I can think to take you, and I'm the secret keeper. I would have to bring you there myself."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"We don't have any other choice, Sirius," Hermione could feel her hands shaking now, "I brought you back from the  _ dead _ ; I'll go to Azkaban for this."

She saw a flash of recognition in his eyes and regretted bringing up that horrible place. But she wasn't lying; what she'd done is technically necromancy. A  _ very  _ dark form of magic, regardless of the reasons for using it. It was a crime, she is a criminal, and now she needed to figure out how to save both of them.

"Okay." Sirius relented, the thoughts of his former prison enough to push into action.

He was beside her in an instant, linking their arms together and holding her tightly against him. Despite his vacant expression, she couldn't help the way her skin tingled when he touched her. It was as if her body, or the magic inside her, knew he was different. She wasn't sure if he was dead or undead, but Hermione only prayed she didn't splinch him; images of a bloodied Ron on the floor of the forest of dean flashed in her mind, but she tried to push them away. There was no  _ time _ .

She hesitated, and Sirius could sense it.

"I'll be fine, Hermione." His eyes were still empty, and his face stoic, but his words helped calm her none the less.

They just had one more stop, and then they would finally be somewhere safe. Somewhere they could breathe, regroup, plan, and everything else they needed to do. Hopefully, in all honesty, Hermione wasn't sure this was her best plan yet. They could be turned away, left on the street with nothing and no one to go to. She wouldn't be able to go to Harry or the Weasley's; they wouldn't understand what she'd done. No one she'd fought within the war would understand why she resorted to dark magic for this; no one else had asked it of her. But she'd done it anyway and now was in the thick of it.

She finally steeled her shoulders, giving Sirius what she hoped would be a reassuring smile. Hermione concentrated on her magic, visualizing the home they needed to go to, and she quickly felt the familiar tug of apparition in the pit of her stomach. All at once, the two of them were being smashed and pulled through space across England, finally being dropped on the front stoop.

It was raining, and there were only a few lights on in the house which lined the darkened street. The cold rain startled Hermione, causing her to gasp as it pelted her in the face. But Sirius remained stoic, unaffected by the change in weather. Hermione finally let herself have a second to worry about him truly, about how much of him she'd really brought back.

"Where are we?"

"You won't like it," Hermione replied, finally reaching out her shaking cold hand to knock on the door in front of them.

She felt so much regret for bringing Sirius here, for everything she'd just invited into this house. Hermione was supposed to be the secret-keeper, the one to protect this place from unwanted guests. But instead, she'd become one herself, dragging alone a broken man who should've stayed dead. She had done so much more than fail; she'd betrayed herself and her promise.

Finally, the door creaked open; the dim light inside seemed blinding to Hermione in the dark street. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust, and she was finally able to see the man in the doorway.

"Hermione?" He asked, but he quickly noticed the disheveled man beside her. He recognized Sirius, and then he locked eyes with her. His gaze was full of disbelief and fury, all directed at her. All of it warranted.

"What the fuck?" His eyes were glued to Sirius once more as if he was waiting for him to disappear in a puff of smoke. Hermione was thankful that looks couldn't kill because Sirius wouldn't be reduced to ash by the man's glare.

Sirius said nothing, only stared at Hermione in disbelief. Somehow this had been the thing to break through his stoicism and vacant eyes, but not enough to elicit any speech. Hermione couldn't blame either of them for their anger; everything she'd don't tonight had been stupid. Bringing Sirius back lent new meaning to the word  _ ill-advised _ , and bringing him here was certifiably insane.

"Severus, please. Let me explain."


	4. Chapter 4

Severus said nothing as they all herded into his living room. Hermione hadn't forgotten how the walls were lined with books; it was small and cramped, but she felt at ease for the first time all night.

"Hermione." It was Sirius who spoke, he and Severus standing awkwardly far away from each other. They were like two wild animals in the same cage, the air was tense, and they seemed to be sizing each other up.

"I know-"She didn't, "I can explain everything-" She couldn't.

Both of them saw right through her; she was just as lost if not more than the two of them.

"What have you _done_ , Granger." Severus seethed, his anger filling the room just like it had in the dungeons at Hogwarts.

"I really, really messed up." Her voice was thick because she was on the verge of tears, and for some reason, she was even more ashamed to have to tell Severus than anything else. She needed his help because she'd be alone without it, and she wasn't sure she could handle all of this on her own.

No one said anything, though Severus looked at her with a tinge of pity. His anger was still filling the room, and the blank look in Sirius' eyes left her trying to look at anything but the corner he occupied. They all slowly began to move, as if trying not to spook each other. Hermione found a place on the floor near the fire so she could warm up, Sirius sat stiffly on the small couch facing her, and Severus settled in a worn black armchair close to her side. It made her feel better that at least she had someone else to help her deal with Sirius if that blank look turned into something much darker.

"How did you do it?" Severus asked quietly, the sound of the crackling fire dominating the silence of the room.

Hermione sat and thought for a moment, rubbing her fingers into the soot that had built up on the hearth. It wasn't easy to explain, and parts of the process she didn't quite understand herself.

"I- Well- A combination of things." It was a terrible explanation, and the sneer from Severus made her feel even more stupid than she already did tonight.

"The veil, the archway," Sirius seemed to perk up, but Hermione refused to tear her eyes away from the hearth where she was making little mountains of the old soot coating it.

"It's alive; it's a being. Not a portal you fall _through_ but something you fall _into_."

Severus' brain instantly kicked into gear; he seemed very interested in what she'd done now. Hermione should've guessed; he loved good mental stimulation. He was a lot like her, and it made so much sense that he'd be intrigued by what she'd accomplished.

"So, you what? You pulled me out of _it_?" Sirius' voice was flat; he was monotone and dazed like his eyes.

It was Severus' turn to appraise the man in front of them; Hermione could sense him really taking Sirius in now. He wasn't the same as when he fell in; she could remember how the two of them used to bicker at the Order Headquarters in her fifth year. There was still so much animosity between them when Sirius died, Hermione couldn't help but wonder how long it would be until the house devolved into violence.

"Yes." Hermione balked, "I mean, really simply that's what I did."

"Give me the more complicated version," Severus commanded from beside her, and she started to layout her research to him.

"Well, when I started my research, I had an encounter with the veil that led me to believe that it was more _animal_ in nature than an object." She continued, "Tonight, I cast a charm meant to neutralize its powers for a few moments."

"You made up your own spell and put your _life_ at risk to test it?"

"I also used grounding and protective runes, old magic, to help create a magical tether outside of the archway." Hermione shot back, just because what she tried was risky didn't give him any reason to berate her. He wasn't her bully of a teacher anymore; they were equals now.

"What else did you do?" It was Sirius that spoke, and it made Hermione jump.

He almost sounded like he had in her fifth year as he comforted Harry over Christmas break. But she knew it wasn't _real,_ Sirius may be in there buried beneath the haze, but he'd definitely brought something back with him.

"I cast another spell, of my own creation" She saw Severus' jaw tighten, but he kept his mouth firmly shut this time, "I had crafted it to call to you. Specifically to Sirius."

"And then what? You just reached in and fished him out?" Severus' patience had worn out, and his barb was met with a heated glare from Hermione.

"Actually, yes." She sat up a little straighter on the floor, "That's exactly what I did."

Their argument was cut short as Sirius began to sway in his spot on the couch. Both of their eyes locked on him in a minute, and he crashed forward to the floor in front of them. Hermione responded first, her instincts kicking in as she quickly crawled across the floor to his side. She should've known that the stress of the evening would catch up with him, but she'd been too busy with Severus' inquisition to think about taking care of Sirius.

"Bloody hell," Severus muttered, as he finally pushed himself up from his chair with a sigh.

"Can I put him somewhere to rest?" All she got was a harsh glare and a raised eyebrow in response, "Please, just until I can figure out what to do next."

"Fine, upstairs. The door on the right is a guest room." The words were sharp and hard as he stalked into the back of the house where Hermione assumed the kitchen was.

" _Levicorpus_ " With a flick of her wand, she was levitating Sirius and making her way through the cramped house with his floating body. She felt bad as he banged into furniture and corners, but she really had no other choice.

When she finally settled him into the small twin bed in the guest room, she lit a small candle on his nightstand. Hermione wasn't sure if it was dark when he was inside the veil, but she thought he'd appreciate not waking up to darkness again if that was the case. She closed his door and set up some wards for good measure. As much as she cared about Sirius, she was still wary about the emptiness that had taken root behind his eyes.

Hermione found Severus in the kitchen; he was leaning against his counter with a mug of tea. They just looked at each other for a moment, the silence a nice reprieve from the chaos Hermione brought here with her.

"Why?" It was a simple question that Hermione was so unsure of how to answer.

"I- I don't know." She admitted, "I didn't start out wanting to bring him back, but as time went on, and my research got so intense, at some point, things shifted."

"They'll arrest you."

"But, I didn't technically bring him back to life!" Hermione protested; if her theories were correct, what she'd done was much different. "It was like he fell in a hole, a hole where time was suspended, and I just fished him out."

"Hermione, you know that the Ministry won't see it like that; it's so much more complicated than that."

"But-"

"We both know that since the end of the war, they've been much more hardline on dark magic, or anything they consider dark." Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt, but he didn't let her.

"I do recall that even _you_ supported some of their hardline sentencing changes for dark magic."

He wasn't wrong; after the war, everyone was an open wound. The policies they enacted in those first few years were just as reactive as the people who made them; they were very harsh consequences now for previous grey areas of magic. And Hermione had supported some of these measures, so had Harry and Ron. They thought they were doing something good, now she finally understood the consequences of those choices.

"What do I do?"

"I don't know."

The silence which followed was deafening. If even he couldn't help her, then they were truly lost. Severus was the last person she thought she could trust, the only one who wouldn't judge her for toeing the line between dark and light. No one else would understand her year's long foray into such a grey zone, and no one else would be cunning enough to help her find a way out of it. She was well and truly fucked.

"You can stay here for a few days," He said, "I assume no one knows you're here."

"What about-"

"He can stay if you keep him away from me."

With that, he left her alone in the kitchen. It was the first time she'd been alone since she pulled Sirius out of the veil. It felt so lonely and yet so free at the same time; she could finally breathe without worrying about whether Sirius would snap or Severus would turn them away. The air in the kitchen was cold, the fire in the other room only embers now. Hermione moved to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face; it felt amazing. But only served to remind her how tired she was.

She slowly moved back to the couch Sirius has occupied earlier, laying down and trying to beat the old pillow into a comfortable shape. As she fell into a fitful sleep, she could only wonder if she'd wake up with an Aurors wand in her face. A sense of dread settled in her stomach as she remembered all of her experiences with Dementors; she needed to find a way to fix this and fast.


	5. Chapter 5

"And why won't you be working today, Ms. Granger?" Her heart was pounding as she stood before Lucius Malfoy in his large Ministry office.

"I need to go to Ollivanders," She tried not to blush at how damn childish she sounded. She felt like a first-year all over again.

" _What_?" Lucius asked, his aristocratic mask cracking to show true confusion in his eyes.

"I messed up last night." Hermione couldn't rush to tell him the story; she had to make him tease it out of her.

If she was too chatty, offered up too much information, he would know she was lying. She needed to convince him she was really embarrassed about what had happened, and her silent, awkward shuffling seemed to be working. She felt like such a Slytherin as she tried to lie and manipulate her boss; she liked it more than she expected.

"How." It was a command and not a question.

"I tripped last night when I was researching in the arch chamber." She started, remembering the lie Sirius and Severus had helped her craft that morning.

"My wand was in my hand, and when I fell, I dropped it." Hermione looked at her feet now because even though it was a lie, the whole story was so embarrassing any witch worth her weight in galleons would rather die than admit she'd lost her wand.

He only raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"It fell through the veil," She huffed, "So I need to get a new wand."

Lucius seemed to be entertained by her annoyance, and it made her relax a bit. He believed her; he was amused at her mistake, which meant that he wouldn't look too much further into her story.

"Well, by all means, Ms. Granger," He tried to suppress his amusement, "Let the wand choose the Witch."

Hermione groaned with annoyance and nodded her goodbye.

Slipping back out into the Department of Mysteries and making her way down the quiet hallway. She just needed to go back to the arch chamber and gather up a few research pieces, the ones with the final equations written on them. No one but her ever goes in there, and there aren't any cameras, so she should be able to slip the documents out undetected.

It was a quick walk, and her heart stopped every time one of the Unspeakables gave her a passing smile. It felt like they could see right through her lies, but she kept reminding herself that she'd fooled Malfoy, and he was the one to be worried about.

He was acquitted of his charges the year after the final battle, and after that, he resumed his life much as normal. While there had been many changes to Wizarding England after the war, some things never change. Some of those being the aristocracy and the power of money. The Malfoy family had those in spades and helped ensure that both Lucius and Draco could resume their normal lives. There had been a very public and contentious divorce between Lucius and Narcissa, but he'd thrown himself into his work since then. He'd been chosen to head the Department of Mysteries because of his first-hand knowledge of some of the more unique aspects of magic, knowledge typically handed down through pure-blooded families. Kingsley couldn't deny the use of having Malfoy as a part of his cabinet, and thus he was placed back upon his pedestal once more.

His opinion was respected, and if he didn't find a reason not to trust her, it would be a great help.

Once inside the arch chamber, Hermione quickly moved up the platform and to her desk. Her notes were still there, though she couldn't be sure they hadn't been disturbed. She'd been so exhausted the night before when she made her ill-advised attempt, so she didn't remember much of the details.

There were a few specific documents that she needed to take, the ones noting the wording of her new spells and the runes she used for her tether. They were the only pages that showed she'd actually _attempted_ her previously theoretical research. Severus had pointed out that if all her notes went missing, then people would notice, but if the few select pages disappeared, everything would appear normal.

She slipped them quickly into her bag, using wandless magic to erase the chalk runes on the stone platform. It was nerve-wracking, leaving so much data and research behind, but she knew that none of it could be used to definitively convict her.

"Granger!" She had to stop herself from swearing out loud as her coworker, Unspeakable Tibbs quickly approached her.

"Tibbs, how are you?" Hermione plastered on a fake smile and tried to pretend that today was a normal day.

"I'm good," He was slightly out of breath due to his job down the hallway, "Except they pulled me off my current project."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, apparently, Malfoy was notified of some magical signature in the Department last night." Her heart stopped, "And now they want me to be the Unspeakable liaison for the Auror team investigating."

"Well, that sucks," She pulled a disappointed face, trying not to sound too interested.

"Well, they think we'll have it wrapped up quickly, so hopefully, I'll be back to my research."

"I hope so! It was good to see you, Tibbs." She slipped back into the small flow of people walking the halls. Her heart was pounding, and all she could think about was getting back to Severus' house, getting back to somewhere safe.

As she passed the large fountain in the atrium, she noticed a group of Aurors whispering to each other. They were all so engrossed in their conversation that they weren't paying attention to their coworkers around them. She hated it, the cold fear settling in her stomach. Somehow, they knew _something_ had happened last night, and she hoped they didn't figure out any more than that.

Hermione found the first unoccupied floo and made her way back to her small apartment. She couldn't stash the papers there, but there wasn't much of anything there to begin with. With all the hours she worked, Hermione had never really settled into the apartment. Her walls were bare, and her shelves were empty of knick-knacks; it was a glorified crash pad though she was loathed to admit it. It made her think of Severus' house again, all the books, and how cozy it was. Sometimes she did truly regret not making more of an effort to turn this place into a home. It was only a pit stop, though; she hadn't been lying when she said she needed a new wand. Severus and Sirius were going to help her destroy hers when she returned to Cokeworth.

The walk to Diagon Alley was short, and the process at Ollivanders was just as she remembered it. Her new wand felt odd in her hands, but it was better than Azkaban, so she could deal with it. It was hard losing her wand; it felt like losing her hand. It had been a part of her since she was 11 years old; it had survived the war with her and been through many battles.

With her new wan stashed in her robes, she apparated to the outskirts of Cokeworth. It was a small town, but she wanted to leave as little trace as possible. Hermione walked the cobblestone streets, looking at the identical brick buildings which lined it. Something was calming about the symmetry, and she tried to calm herself before she got back to the house. Despite how badly today had been, she needed to prepare for the chaos that would result from Severus and Sirius being alone together all morning.

The eerie silence which reached her ears as she let herself into the house was more disconcerting than the noise she expected.

"Severus?" She called into the still house and was met with a grunt from the living room.

At least they were alive.

"What happened?" Sirius' voice called from the kitchen, and she heard Severus' annoyed grumble in response.

"Well-"Both of them heard her hesitation, the anxiety in her voice, and suddenly they were all in the living room.

"Hermione." It was Severus who spoke now.

"They know _something_ happened last night, but not what." She started, "But they don't have any idea or suspects, and I managed to get my documents out."

"Well, hopefully, the investigation runs cold." Sirius nodded, but Severus looked more concerned.

"A breach in the Department of Ministries? They'll be lots of pressure to solve it, Black."

"Oh, shut it, Snivell-"

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled, "Both of you. We don't have time for this."

Everyone went silent because she was right. But none of them were quite sure what they could do. It was a waiting game, and Hermione wasn't sure if the three of them would be able to hold out against the Ministry, especially Severus and Sirius.

Sirius stalked up the stairs, he was angrier than he needed to be, but no one followed him. Hermione still wasn't sure how to talk to him about what had happened; she just wanted to forget herself in a book.

"Did you see Lucius?" Severus asked her now that they were alone.

"Yes." She didn't like talking about the former death eater with her former professor; she knew they'd been friends at Hogwarts.

"Did he believe you?"

"I think so," She chuckled, "It wasn't hard to act embarrassed and reluctant to tell him I'd lost my wand."

"Good, because if he saw through you, then this will all come crashing down around us."

Hermione said nothing, just cuddled up under the thin blanket she'd used the night before. Settling into the couch once more, she sat and watched the fire, trying to calm her thoughts. She could tell that she would need to be at her best for what was coming, but it was even harder to calm herself when she didn't know what to expect.


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione tried to spend most of her day in the library at the Ministry the next day. Something about the old books helped calm her anxiety, and no one would look for her here. If anyone did and happened to ask why she was here, it would be easy to explain.

She'd charmed a large mug of tea to stay warm, and she was reading over books she'd already set aside for her research. Hermione just wanted to spend a few more weeks, acting gradually more frustrated with her lack of progress. She hoped she could then maybe start another line of research and maybe fly under the radar of the Aurors investigating in the department.

The library was quiet, and rereading old books made it meditative. It was the right dose of calm to help ease the stress on her shoulders. Without anyone around, it was easy to pretend that nothing had happened, that the world was familiar, and she had no reason to worry about what Magical Law Enforcement was investigating.

The bubble only lasted so long; she'd decided to stop by her apartment to grab a few things for Sirius. They'd both been crashing at Severus' since she'd brought him back, but she'd been loath to let him settle in too much. At any moment, they could be out on the street once more, and they didn't need to have a ton of stuff to move. But she couldn't deny Sirius the simple comfort of a change of clothes and a few books to read.

When she unlocked the door to her apartment, she was stunned by what she saw. Hermione's apartment had been almost destroyed. Her books were strewn across the floor, papers scattered everywhere. Her drawers were emptied and overturned, there was stuffing protruding from her couch, and Crookshanks was angrily hidden under the bed.

All of the air in her lungs was gone; it felt like she'd been sucker-punched. And it got even worse when she noticed the Ministry blue envelope sitting pristinely on her coffee table; it was virtually the only thing left untouched by the chaos that had spun through earlier.

With shaking fingers, she cracked the wax seal and pulled out the letter within.

_ To Whom It May Concern, _

_ The Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a department of the British Ministry for Magic, was in your home earlier this evening. According to their objective to ensure the safety of Wizarding England, under the Investigative Act of 2000 (Section A.4 Sub-Section 110.7), the Aurors involved completed their search and requisition of evidence in a legal and just manner. _

_ To the Witch/Wizard HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER, you will be approached by Aurors at a later date to discuss the investigation and charges against you. Until that time, you have been put on non-paid administrative leave from your position as an UNSPEAKABLE with the department of MYSTERIES. Pending the conclusion of the investigation, your employment will be reviewed by a panel of Ministry officials. _

_ In the future, you may be required to submit further personal property as evidence and give information on past spells cast and use of the floo system. All of these requisitions will be done per the laws of Wizarding England. If you have any questions, you may go to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Ministry of Magic to engage with your case officer. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Ministry Clerk Girard Dalmer _

The string of expletives that echoed in her mind as she read the letter would've made the shrunken heads outside the Three Broomsticks blush. Everything she had feared was happening. Hermione felt so foolish to have thought that she would fly under the Aurors radar; it was too good to be true.

She didn't have time to sift through everything and find what was missing. But she wasn't too worried; she'd stashed the documents which revealed her  _ actual _ attempts at Severus' house. Anything the Aurors could've gotten ahold of here in her apartment would've only been theoretical. While not perfect, as it would only serve to make them look at her harder, it was better than them finding the smoking gun while she was twiddling her thumbs in the library.

She quickly righted the destruction with a wave of her wand, but she didn't feel any better as she watched the papers fly back to their homes and pillows mend themselves. She summoned a few things, knowing she wouldn't want to come back here for a while.

Hermione wanted too floo right back to Cokeworth, but she couldn't be reckless and leave too much of a trail behind, though. They all but admitted they would track her floo usage, so she couldn't just run right there. She needed to apparate, and now she would make a few extra stops to make sure no one was following her. If she obscured her trail enough, that coupled with the fact that Severus house is under the Fidelis Charm would ensure the Ministry would have no idea where to find her.

Though she'd never recommended apparating three times in under ten minutes, it did serve the purpose she needed. So, she pushed down nausea rising in her throat and entered Severus' house once more. Hermione wasn't looking forward to telling Severus and Sirius about the raid on her home; both of them would be furious.

"Hermione?" It was Sirius who called her name, she could hear him at the top of the stairs.

She cast a lingering glance down the hallway towards the kitchen but headed up the stairs towards Sirius instead. The stairs were creaky and narrow, and it made her feel claustrophobic as she ascended. Sirius was waiting for her on the small landing, which led to the bedrooms; he leaned against the wall looking much like his old self again.

"Hey." Her voice was quiet; she wasn't quite sure how to act around him.

He made her feel like she was 16 again, and he's the mysterious older man who throws her off her game. Sirius used to wink at her to make her giggle, and she and Ginny would stay up late at night for house whispering about how he looked and the things he said each day. They were obsessed with him, and when he died, those hours turned to ones of hugging and crying and trying to remember the good times. Sometimes the thought of how he looked back then, with his waistcoats and tattoos peeking out from his unbuttoned shirt, still made her heart flutter.

But the way his eyes would get vacant and glaze over scared her still; she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right with him since he got back. It was confusing, and it all felt heightened when they were so close together and in a confined space like this.

"Where'd you go?"

"I had to go to work," She stared at her feet, "to make sure that everything seemed normal."

"Ah."

It was so awkward in the hallway. Hermione thought she might melt into a puddle to get away from it all.

"I brought you some things!" She sounded far too eager, but it was nice to fill the awkward silence with something else.

"What- You didn't need to."

"Yes, I did." Hermione handed him a tiny backpack, and with a flourish of her new wand, returned it to its average size.

"It's just some clothes and books for you," She was suddenly self-conscious about the fact that she'd put so much effort into his bag, "So you don't get too bored or uncomfortable."

"There's always  _ Snivellus'  _ library downstairs-"

"Sirius, please don't."

"What?" He was defensive now, and Hermione didn't like it. Suddenly, the small space's air turned from awkward to tense, and she felt like she was on high alert.

"He's giving us a place to stay," Her fingers were twitching to grab her wand to make her feel safer, but she didn't want to spook him, "He's giving  _ you _ a place to stay after everything you  _ did _ to him."

"I didn't do any-"

"Cut the shit, Sirius. I know about the Shrieking Shack and luring Severus on a full moon; you could've  _ killed  _ him." She was fuming now; Severus had let her see the memories he'd given to Harry and then some. Hermione knew more about what had happened at Hogwarts than Sirius could imagine, and it made her blood boil. Severus wasn't perfect by any means, but what Sirius and James had done was wrong too.

"Hermione-"

"Don't." She was seeing red and feeling vicious now, "Or I'll throw you back into that veil myself."

"Your gonna threaten me now,  _ Kitten _ ?" His eyes were dark and empty; exactly how they'd looked on the night that he came back.

_ Kitten _ . He used to call her that during that summer at Grimmauld Place. Sirius would always say it with a wink and a mischievous glint in his eyes, usually earning a swat on the head from Molly Weasley. Hermione always suspected that he did it because it made her blush and giggle, but she was never sure. The term of endearment, which once made her feel special and bashful, now made her blood run cold.

"Do not underestimate me."

"Oh, does the kitten have claws now?" He was taunting her now, walking closer to force her to back away. Sirius was making her feel like prey.

"I survived a war while you were dead." Hermione stuck her chin out at him, "You don't scare me."

He only barked a laugh, but it didn't reach his eyes. Those were still void and dark.

"I'm not sure what happened while you were in that veil, but I can tell that you're different." The look on his face faltered a bit, "I will talk to you, fill you in on what you've missed. But if you don't get it the fuck together and stop looking at me like you want to murder me, I will put you somewhere no one will  _ ever _ be able to pull you out of."

Hermione wasn't lying; it would be infinitely more manageable for her if Sirius Black  _ disappeared _ . A less moral witch, a more self-serving one, would have killed him the minute things went sideways at the Ministry. But she cared about him and was willing to do the extra work to ensure that they  _ both  _ escaped from this unscathed. But if he were going to go dark-magic psychotic on her, she would not hesitate to let her survival instincts from the war to kick in. She had to make sure this all turned out okay, regardless of what happened. She felt so Slytherin, so cold and calculating, it was foreign to her. But she quickly realized it was her only option.

"Hermione-"She couldn't handle his voice anymore, or his cold eyes, or the small space. Hermione raised her hand to stop him from speaking anymore.

"I need to talk to both you and Severus downstairs." Sirius only gave her a jerky nod in response.

They found Severus reading the Daily Prophet in his chair by the fire, and despite everything that had just been said upstairs, Sirius just wasn't able to bite his tongue.

"You actually read that _ drivel _ , Snivell-"

" _ Petrificus Totalus _ ," Hermione didn't even say the words, but Sirius wasn't able to finish his sentence, help up only by her levitating charm, which lowered him onto the couch.

"Hermione?"

"I need to speak with both of you," She short Sirius a dark look, "And someone was uncooperative."

Severus only ushered her on with a wave of his hand, putting aside his paper to give her his full attention. She was now the center of attention.

"I stopped by my apartment today after I left the Ministry to pick up a few things for Sirius."

Severus only continued to watch her, and the silence pushed her to speak even faster.

"It had been raided; everything had been pulled apart. And I'd been left a letter from the Ministry."

"Damn it!" Severus didn't yell, but his voice filled the room, as did his frustration.

"But I have all the damning evidence here," She was trying to convince herself more than him not to panic," So they don't have any concrete evidence on me bringing Sirius back."

"They may have enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Hermione, that you are in danger right now."

Her mind was racing, and she had no idea what to do. How could she get out of this? When was it going to get worse? Because she had no doubt, this whole thing would get worse before it got better.

"Wake him up."

She did as she was told, though she wondered why he would want to talk to Sirius right now.

"Fucking Christ, Hermione!" The anger began radiating off of Sirius the moment he was no longer bound.

"You can sling you little barbs later, Black." Snape was sneering at him from a crossed the room. "We need to discuss things  _ now _ ."

"Like little Miss Know-It-All bringing me back from the dead. Or the fact that she fucked up so badly we're all going to get thrown in Azkaban for it?" Hermione's heart shrank at the words; he really wasn't like the Sirius she remembered. He was so much meaner and colder now; he had a much sharper edge to him.

"We both owe her a debt, Black." She hated the way that sounded, "And now it's time we pay up."

"I don't owe her shit."

"Then why don't we take you to the Ministry tonight and throw you back through that cursed archway!" Sirius paled a little at the thought of that, "Then we can all be done with this mess."

"Why do you want to help her,  _ Snivellus _ ? Found a new Gryffindor  _ mudblood _ to fawn over?"

Hermione could only gasp from across the room. It wasn't that she'd never heard the word before, though it had happened far less often in recent years. It was that she never expected the name to come from the lips of Sirius Black. He had always seemed so against blood purity and the like, but maybe the values one is raised with indeed die hard. The murderous look in Severus' eye indicated to Hermione that the situation was spiraling out of control.

"Severus-"She tried to keep her voice calm like she was approaching a wild animal.

"Would you like to tell him, Hermione?"

"Severus, please-"

"No, go  _ ahead _ ."

"He- he was attacked in the boathouse during the final battle," Hermione's voice was shaking as she remembered that day. "I came in and saved him."

"No, Hermione," Severus chided mockingly though his eyes never left Sirius, "You're forgetting all of the best parts. How the Dark Lord ordered me killed, how his  _ snake _ ripped over my throat like I was made of  _ paper _ ."

"Severus-"

Hermione couldn't take it anymore; the way they were staring at each other with such hatred made her stomach turn. The air in the room was so dark and heavy; it was suffocating her.

"I'll help you, Hermione." It was all Sirius said before he stalked up the stairs to his small room. His steps thundered through the little house, and it only made Hermione's heart beat faster.

Severus wouldn't look at her now, his eyes locked on the flames in front of him. She just needed to be alone, so she quickly left the room, taking the same route Sirius had. She stopped in the small upstairs hallways and began to gasp for breath.

The whole day, it had been so much weight on her chest. And now it felt like her body had finally run out of oxygen. The stress of it all made her feel like she was being buried alive. She'd messed up so badly that the guilt was beginning to eat her apart, and she couldn't hide it anymore. Hermione needed help, and she only had one option, she needs to make sure that Sirius and Severus survived each other long enough to ensure none of them go tor Azkaban.

Just the thought of the Dementors, the utter desolation they made you feel, made Hermione fearful. But then she remembered that if she did go to Azkaban, then Harry and the Weasley's would find out what she'd done, and that was somehow even worse. It brought tears to her eyes to think about the disappointed look on Molly Weasley's face as she's sentenced to Azkaban for being a dark witch. Her life  _ couldn't _ end up like that.

"Come here, kitten." Sirius' voice made her jump out of her skin.

She didn't say anything, but she eyed him suspiciously. After everything that had happened this evening, he thought she was going to run to him when she was at her lowest? He had to be genuinely damaged from that arch.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I understand why you're scared of me, but I didn't mean to scare you." He looks conflicted for a moment, like he was unsure about what he said next, "I'm still me, I think. I get so overwhelmed sometimes that I shut down and go blank."

"What about you being an asshole?"

"Well," He laughed at that, and she struggled not to smile a little bit, "I've always been that way, but I shouldn't have said a lot of what I said tonight."

"That's not an apology."

"I'm sorry, Kitten." He looked sincere, but Hermione was still hesitant, "I was wrong."

She walked over to him and cried into his jacket now, though she wasn't quite sure about him. It felt good not to be alone for the first time in a while. She and Ron had broken up almost three years ago now, and she hadn't had the time for anyone else since then. So, she hadn't been hugged in quite a long time. She had forgotten how nice it felt. 


	7. Chapter 7

Now that she'd been put on administrative leave, Severus' house brimmed with tension and activity. There was nowhere any of them could go to escape it either. Hermione was so worried about further raids and questioning from the Aurors had her on high alert, she was so anxious she'd taken to sleeping on the couch every night. Her back was protesting, and Severus seemed more and more annoyed with each passing day.

"Granger," Severus' cold voice made her jump awake, her back aching against the uncomfortable couch she'd fallen asleep on the night before.

"Hu- Yes?" It took her a minute to blink away her grogginess and give him her full attention.

"I did not allow you access to my home so that you and Black could lounge around day in and day out."

"I know-"

"Then, go do  _ something _ ." And with that, he was gone again, disappearing off to the basement where he spent his days brewing potions.

He wasn't wrong, and Hermione knew that. She'd been avoiding everything here in Cokeworth, pretending that nothing was wrong. It wasn't going to work anymore;  _ everything _ was wrong, and she needed to find a way to handle it and soon. It was just so hard for her even to plan how she was going to outwit the Ministry. Her whole world had ended at once, and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to function anymore; she just felt so numb inside.

Hermione tried to start small; she knew baby steps would help her find her way out of this funk. She got out of her pajamas and into something semi-presentable and slipped out the front door. It was still morning, and there had been heavy rains the night before. The cobblestone streets were slick, and the air was cold and moist. Hermione buried her hands in her pockets as she walked, trying to enjoy the feeling of the sun on her face as she made her way towards the outskirts of town. She hadn't venture past the house's small back garden for a few days now, and it never got any sun. It was like she'd forgotten how good it felt; it brought a smile to her face as she walked.

She'd decided to return to her apartment and see if she had any mail, a simple errand. And the nice walk that was involved was definitely helping to lift her spirits a bit. Even if everything was falling apart, she could at least smile in the sun today.

Cokeworth isn't large, and so her walk didn't take her long. She was soon legging it into the woods, far enough into the trees that no one would see her apparate. Hermione wasn't sure if there were other witches and wizards in the town, but she had to assume that there were. There was a small clearing just far enough into the woods; inside was a simple bench that was surrounded by rose bushes. It was a simple space, but one that seemed carved out for magical folk to use. She sat for a moment on the bench, just breathing in the perfume of the rose bushes. Hermione realized that without simple moments such as these, she'd drowned before the race had even begun.

When she finally felt ready to head to her apartment, she apparated to her front door.

Hermione's fight or flight instincts kicked in immediately, her door was cracked out, and voices were coming from inside. Were they here to arrest her? But she quickly recognized the voices inside; it was Harry and Ron. The door creaked as she pushed it open; their eyes turned to her from where they were standing in her living room.

"You broke into my house?"

They said nothing, just traded guarded glances with one another before turning to stare at her again.

"Where were you?" It was Ron who spoke; he seemed annoyed that she was asking them questions.

"You're the ones who broke into  _ my _ house." She was annoyed now too, "Why don't you explain yourselves."

"You're the one being investigated by the Ministry for  _ dark _ magic." Ron's face was red as he stared down at her.

"We're worried about you, Hermione." Harry's voice was quiet; she almost missed what he said.

"Thank you for being worried." Hermione didn't want to hurt their feelings, but she did want them to back off, "But there's nothing to be worried about. It's a misunderstanding that I'm sure will be cleared up soon."

"Mione, don't give me that bullshit!" Ron was yelling, his barely concealed rage now on full display. She knew he had a right to be mad, but she had no way of being honest with either of them. Not anymore.

As much as Hermione hated to admit it, if either of them found out what she'd done, things would end badly. It might not happen at first; everyone would be so happy that Sirius was back. But her violation of their morals,  _ Harry's  _ morals, would soon become a burden too big to bear. The weight of tension would grow inside them until it finally blew; it would be better if she handled this alone. At least then, they would have the option of ignoring the sinking feeling in their gut that something was off; at least then they could focus on Sirius being back and not how they feel about how it was done. Maybe she was selfish or deluded, but she knew deep down they wouldn't understand her actions, regardless of why she did them.

"Ron, you came to  _ my _ house! If you don't want to believe me, then you don't have to."

"No!" He continued to yell at her now, "What is going on?"

"Ron-"

"You're not the same person you used to be." Harry's voice was low, and it seemed much more dangerous than Ron's yelling.

"Yes I-"

Ron said nothing; he only stomped past her and out her front door. She and Harry just stared at each other, listening to the sound of Ron's receding footsteps.

Today was the next domino, the other shoe; it was what she'd been dreading. Hermione knew that this case would begin to affect things; she'd just been in denial. She never wanted to push Harry and Ron away, but it felt like her hands were tied.

"I don't know what you did-"

"Harry-"

"All I know is that if you're guilty, you should turn yourself in." His eyes were cold now, and they reminded her of Sirius a bit.

The way he spoke, he seemed so far away. Hermione wasn't even sure if he believed her or if he'd already decided she was guilty. It made her feel so alone. She'd expected Ron to be angry, not to understand her choices. But part of her had thought that maybe Harry would understand, that perhaps he would be the one to extend an olive branch. That perhaps he could look past her mistakes, but she wasn't so sure anymore. He wasn't the same idealistic teenage wizard she'd always known; he was an Auror now. And he takes his job seriously, so seriously that Hermione wasn't sure he'd ever been able to move past her actions.

"I didn't do  _ anything _ -"

"I wish I believed you." He walked towards the door, following Ron's trail, "I hope you do the right thing."

Then, he was gone.

Hermione sank to the floor, leaning against her couch and sobbed for hours.

They'd been her brothers once, but since the end of the war, things had been different. She should've known things would change; everyone grows apart as they grow up. But she hadn't expected it; she thought their friendship would be protected. As if it were a bubble that they would always be able to run home too, a safe place for all of them for always.

But they'd grown apart, pursued their paths, and now everything was so different. It had been different for a while, though she hadn't realized it till now.

Hermione watched the light darken in her windows, knowing that hours were ticking by, and she'd have to get up eventually. But she couldn't stop thinking about the night before the Quidditch World Cup before their 4th year. She just remembered how close they all seemed; it felt like they'd always be able to meet up at the Burrow. That it would still be their home, even those who weren't Weasley's, but she realized her mistake. Times had changed, and so had all of them; they had grown in different directions. The reality of having to face the future alone was terrifying, but Hermione had no other choice.

It was late afternoon when she finally pulled herself from the floor; she grabbed some books though she didn't look at the titles. She just wanted a reason for taking so long on her morning walk. She knew that Severus and Sirius would be able to tell that something happened. Hermione couldn't put it off any longer, so she packed up her books, apparated back to the wooded clearing.

The sun was shining through the trees; birds were singing in the branches. But Hermione couldn't muster a smile; it was just too bitter on her lips. She'd lost the last of her family today, and the sinking feeling in her stomach made her want to vomit.

The fresh air brought fresh tears to the surface, and she furiously wiped them away as she walked. Children were playing in the streets; their shouts echoed off the brick buildings and cobblestone streets. It only served to remind her more about what had happened; by the time she walked through the front door, she was crying even harder.

She dropped her bag at the foot of the couch before curling into the blanket she'd used the previous night. Hermione cried silently till she slept, and she promised herself that she'd start fixing everything when she woke up.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!
> 
> Sorry for going so long between updates, my inspiration completely disappeared for a few weeks there. But I am back to work and have a few chapters already finished and going to go up soon. Thanks to everyone who is still reading, and I hope you enjoy it!

Since her run-in with Ron and Harry, Hermione had tried to figure out a way to clear her name. But it hadn't been easy with tensions running high in the small house, every day she walked on eggshells, worried that the slightest spark would set the powder keg off.

Hermione questioned her sanity every day. Bringing Sirius  _ here _ ? It hadn't been one of her brighter ideas; the barrage of vitriol flying between him and Severus was almost never-ending. From the moment they awoke to the moment one finally trudged off to sleep, they were hurling insults across the house.

Her nerves were fried, and she didn't know how much more she could take. Or how much more Severus would allow, she was always wondering when he'd finally have enough. They could only remain here on his kindness for so long, and with Sirius tap-dancing on his last nerve Hermione wasn't quite sure when that would be.

"Greasy hair-"Sirius was muttering to himself as he made his way out of the kitchen.

Hermione was on the couch, desperately trying to sleep longer when Sirius picked up her feet and sat down on the couch. Her feet were quickly deposited in his lap while he levitated a plate of toast and began eating.

She only snuggled further into her blankets; it was far too early for their bickering.

"Tell me,  _ Black _ ," Just from the tone of Severus' voice, Hermione's back straightened, "Did you forget all of your table manners when you went to Azkaban? Or did the veil help to erase what little you had left?"

Severus was looking for a fight, and Hermione was wide awake now. She didn't open her eyes or move, she only held her feet and calves tight against Sirius to try and prevent him from moving. Sometimes he'd lash out physically, and she  _ really _ didn't need that this morning.

"Why, you greasy-haired, long-nosed, traitorous  _ bastard _ !"

"Uh-uh, don't forget that you're in  _ my _ house, Black." Severus taunted him back.

The back and forth had been sparked again, and today it was so tough to stay neutral. Hermione tried not to take sides, but this time it was all Severus. She didn't blame him for wanting to get back at his childhood menace, but sometimes she wished the two of them would act their age. They'd all been through so much, had to trust each other when no one else could be trusted, and yet they couldn't find a peaceful way to cohabitate.

Hermione had zoned out of their conversation; their bickering only served to ruin her days before they even really began. But she couldn't ignore the yelling any longer when she heard a loud bang from one of the bookshelves.

Sirius had blackened a book on the shelf, no doubt lashing out due to the needling from Severus. But it was the look in Severus' eyes that worried Hermione; he seemed so furious. More so than she'd ever seen him before, and she worried that this might be the final straw. After all, this was his parents' house, and she really had no idea the value of the objects inside. Sentimental value or otherwise, destroying pieces of the man's hard-won sanctuary was not something she ever would've done. But Sirius doesn't always think. Since he returned from the veil, there was a darkness about him. Sometimes you would see the shift in his eyes, and then you'd know something had changed.

The room had fallen into an eerie and still silence when Hermione decided it was time to act. She could speak to Severus later; if he meant to kick them out, he would. Or at least she hoped he would tell her outright instead of waiting, and if that was the case, then they were safe here for now. Who she really needed to speak to was Sirius.

She'd been avoiding the conversation for a while now, and she hated doing it. Hermione could tell that he wanted to know every single detail of what had happened since he fell through the veil, but neither her nor Severus were up to the task of telling him it all. They'd briefly discussed what he'd brought back with him from the veil, but she didn't quite understand it all. And she'd been even less helpful in trying to help him deal with these changes within him. Overall she'd dropped the ball in so many areas; she just needed to set things straight with him.

Hermione said nothing as she stood from the couch, grabbing Sirius' hand once she'd risen. He looked at her, confused like he wanted to ask her what she was doing. Instead, he stayed quiet as she pulled him from the living room, up the stairs, and into his small bedroom. He shut the door behind them, and she suddenly felt much more exposed in the small room.

Not exposed,  _ cornered _ .

They were alone for the first time in a while, and she wasn't really sure how she felt about it. Everything to do with Sirius was a confusing flurry of emotions in her stomach, one she was far too scared to even attempt to understand. Hermione tried to push the feels down, to ignore them, but it was even harder when they're so close to one another.

"Kitten?"

That damned nickname, she hated how easily he threw it around. Most of all, she hated how much she loved that he called her that; it reminded her of the old Sirius, and it gave her butterflies just like she was 15 again.

"Do you two ever not bicker?" She flinched at how accusatory she sounded, but they had pushed her to the past the use of nuance. Hermione just needed it to stop.

"Hermione-"

"No, Sirius." She held up her hand to stop him, "This is the only place we have right now; we  _ can't  _ fuck it up."

"What about Harry?" His voice was small, and her heart broke.

She'd been avoiding this conversation most of all but knew Sirius would have to hear the news at some point. Hermione hadn't said anything about her last meeting with Harry and Ron to Sirius or Severus, but they had to have noticed the change in her. She'd been basically silent for a few days, and they'd both hovered around her though they pretended not to.

"He won't want to see me."

"What about me?" It was a valid question, but Hermione honestly wasn't sure what the answer to it was.

"I know he'd be happy to see you, but things are complicated."

"Kitten-"

"I know Sirius; I have a lot to tell you. That's why I brought you up here, so I can answer all of your questions." She sat down on his bed now, knowing they were in for a long conversation.

"What's complicated?"

"Well," She awkwardly chuckled now, "The Ministry is investigating me because I may have used some  _ darker than legal _ magic to bring you back."

Sirius' eyes just bore into her, urging her to keep talking.

"And Harry and Ron are Aurors now."

"Hermione, they're your  _ friends _ . They'll help you."

"I've already spoken to them, Sirius," He stilled at her words, "They both think I'm guilty and want me to turn myself in."

His eyes were that blank void they sometimes became since he came back. But Hermione tried not to be scared; she started to think that it was more a psychological side effect of the veil than a magical one. And she couldn't blame him; he'd been through more than he deserved in this lifetime. Anyone who had survived what he had would have some mental scars to go along with the physical ones.

"Did you tell them about me?"

"No," He looked angry now, "That would be the same as admitting my guilt!"

"But Hermione-"

"They'll send me to  _ Azkaban  _ Sirius; what I did is  _ very  _ illegal."

"But won't they understand that you were trying to  _ save  _ me-"

"The Ministry won't care. They only see black and white, and what I did they will call necromancy." Her voice sounded strained now, "You are the only proof they'll need."

He only nodded, his silence worse than anything he could've said.

"What happened to you during the war?" This question surprised her; Hermione thought she'd be answering questions about Harry and what had happened since the end of the war. She hadn't expected him to ask about her.

"Sirius-"

"Kitten." His tone left no room for questioning, and to be honest; she wanted to tell him everything. But it was a wound not fully healed, much like the one on her arm; sometimes, if she irritated it too much, it would start to bleed again.

"After that night in the ministry," She had to suppress a shudder at the memory of him falling through that veil, "Things moved quickly. Dumbledore died, Snape seemed to be a traitor, and we were off hunting Horcruxes.

He only nodded for her to continue.

"We hunted for Horcruxes for months and made little progress. But then we were taken captive by some snatchers. They were working for the Death Eaters, hunting down dissidents and others they viewed as dangerous."

Hermione stopped for a moment, her head swimming with the memories of her time as a captive in Malfoy Manor.

"They took us to Malfoy Manor and turned us over to the Malfoys. Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Draco were there. Bellatrix separated me from the boys; she wanted information about something she thought we'd stolen from her."

She pulled her shirt sleeve up, revealing a scar on her forearm.

"And she left me with this."

"Oh, Kitten." Sirius sat next to her on the mattress now, his rough fingers gliding over the scar on her arm. As he traced the words, she couldn't help but shiver, she always kept her arm covered, and the skin had become sensitive.

"What happened to her?"

"She died in the final battle."

"How?"

"Molly Weasley," Hermione couldn't stop her smile, "She was brilliant."

Sirius only smiled back, and they lapsed once more into silence. Sirius kept rubbing circles into her forearm as they sat, and it helped to calm her thoughts about her time at the Manor.

"What happened between you and the boys?"

"Nothing," She saw him raise his eyebrow, disapprovingly, "Honestly, just time."

There hadn't been a fight or anything like that, just a slow, steady crawl away from one another. It really began after Hermione and Ron broke up, and then when Hermione became an Unspeakable, it seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. She would always love those boys, but they weren't a  _ trio _ anymore like they used to be. Sometimes she missed it, but other times she was happy to be just Hermione again.

"We just grew apart. It's been a while since the end of the war, Sirius, things changed."

"I can see that."

"Harry and Ginny got married last year." Sirius smiled at that.

"What about you and Ron?"

"We dated for a bit after the war, but we realized we were better as friends." She told him, "Then, after I became an Unspeakable and started researching how to bring you back, I started spending more time at work."

"How long did it take?"

"To what?"

"To figure out how to bring me back."

"2 years."

" _ Jesus _ Kitten, you spent two years on me?"

She laughed at that. Hermione had never intended when she started her project to spend two years of her life devoted to it, but the time had flown by so fast. It was almost hilarious how pitiful it sounded to say she'd spent two years obsessing over how to bring her childhood crush back from the dead, but she'd done it. She'd actually done it.

"What can I say? You sure know how to make an impression on a girl, Sirius."


	9. Chapter 9

She’d spent the rest of the day laying on Sirius’ bed with him, answering his questions about what he’d missed. Once they’d covered the dark topics, the pressing ones, it was fun to answer his questions about music and acquaintances. Sometimes stories would turn sad, but it was the first time Hermione had been able to laugh about the war in a while. Sirius helped her see the humor in it.

When they’d woken up to the sunset, both fully clothed atop his bedspread, Hermione excused herself back downstairs. It was confusing and intoxicating being that close to him, sometimes she was sure she was fifteen again, and he’d disappear right in front of her.

Hermione found Severus waiting for her in the darkening living room, and she praised whatever Gods existed that Sirius had stayed in his room. She couldn’t take another fight between the two men. It was too much.

“Finally done consoling the  _ mutt _ .”

“Don’t be a dick, Severus.”

They glared at each other across the room, the tension palpable as Hermione settled back into her makeshift bed. She felt like a teenager on her parents’ couch, wrapped in a comforter and arguing across the room. Hermione almost laughed at the fact that Severus was the reason for it all.

“Can you try not to fight with him?” Hermione wasn’t angry; she just wanted one less thing to worry about as the world fell apart around her.

“I  _ hate _ him.”

“I know, Severus,” He looked up when she spoke his name, “But how can I figure this whole thing out if I’m playing referee to the two of you each day?”

“I won’t forgive him.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

Hermione knew she was asking a lot as it was, but she also knew that the issues between the two men wouldn’t be fixed overnight just because she  _ asked _ . She had her own resentments from long ago; she wouldn’t begrudge Severus his.

“I don’t know what to do.” She admitted to him, feeling fragile as she thought about everything closing in on her.

“You’re different now.”

Hermione said nothing, just looked at him. He knew that she wanted to know more.

“You’ve practiced dark magic, that changes a person.”

“I just feel confused.”

“You turned your back on everything you thought you knew, Hermione. Of course, you are confused.” Severus sounded annoyed, but it didn’t bother her as it used to.

He calmed her; just being near him reminded her of Hogwarts and  _ safety _ . Severus was someone who accepted her, all of her. He didn’t need her to be the perfect Hermione Granger; her didn’t care about her friendships with Harry and Ron; he just cared about her. They had an odd relationship; it’d evolved slowly since the end of the war. But she knew he was important to her when everything fell apart, and the only person she could think to run to for help was him.

“I still feel like me,” She began, “But the world doesn’t feel the same anymore.”

“You did a bad thing for a good reason; the world doesn’t understand how to reconcile that.”

“You do.”

“Because I’ve been in your shoes.”

Hermione nodded; he was right again. He could understand because he’d been where she was. A different time and situation, to be sure, but Severus Snape understood compromising one’s morals for the ones you love. It was part of the reason why she had come here; he was the only one she thought could even begin to understand what she’d done without judging her.

“Harry thinks I’m guilty; he told me to turn myself in.”

“He has the nuanced understanding of a blast-ended skrewt.” Severus all but rolled his eyes.

“He was still my friend.”

“And if you can forgive him, he will be again.”

“When?”

“When we prove your innocence to the Ministry,” Severus told her with certainty.

“You’ll let us stay?”

“I was never going to make you leave.”

Hermione smiled; he cared more than he let on with his words. Severus was a man of silent action.

“I thought-“

“I am indebted to you, Hermione.”

“No, you are n-“

“Yes, yes, I am.” His eyes were burning into hers as he spoke, “You saved my life. From healing me on the floor of the boathouse to letting me find peace and privacy here, you have saved my life in more ways than I can count.”

“You deserved it all.”

“And now I can repay what you’ve done for me.”

“Severus-“

“No, Hermione.” His tone was steel; he left no room for argument, “I will help you fix this.”

“Thank you.”

He said nothing, just slipped out of his chair and left the room. Hermione sat listening on the couch as his steps ascended the staircase, and she heard the familiar creak of his bedroom door closing. Once silence had settled in the small house, she turned her attention to the crackling fire.

At least now she didn’t have to worry about the arguing and fighting, though she didn’t expect it to stop. Hermione had allies, true allies now who she actually thought might be able to help her out of the mess she created.

She settled further into her blankets, closing her eyes and pretending she was on her parent’s couch.

She could see their old living room, remember the smells and photographs on the mantle. The sounds of her mother banging around in the kitchen were like music to her ears; a song stuck in her head on repeat.

It reminded her of her summer and winter breaks she got to spend at home, the feeling of returning to the muggle world after months in the wizarding one. Hermione tried not to think about how much she missed her parents or about what they could’ve been doing in Australia at that moment.

Her parents were gone, and she couldn’t bring them back; nothing would change that.

That’s how she slipped into sleep, pretending she was home again.


	10. Chapter 10

The cobblestones were slippery, and Hermione kept her eyes on her shoes. She was trying not to twist her ankle or think too much about where she was going. Hermione had been convinced to meet Ginny and Luna for an early breakfast. She knew it was their way of figuring out what was going on with her; Harry and Ron must've let something slip to Ginny. Or maybe they'd heard the rumors themselves; it was one of the worst kept secrets in the Wizarding World. Something was happening at the Ministry, something that reminded people of the time before the war.

Hermione arrived early, slowly weaving her way through the offshoots of Diagon Alley. It helped her destress, to walk the quiet foggy streets. They were mostly empty now; it was still early enough that people weren't out yet.

It was nice to escape the small house in Cokeworth too. The two men were trying to be better about their bickering, but it was only a small improvement. They kept it away from her, which she thought was their way of giving her some peace. She and Severus had been trying to figure out how to clear her name for days now, but they had no way around her own notes. They all but confirmed that she was at-least researching the bits of magic she used to bring Sirius back, and she was scared they'd deem it enough to arrest her.

Sirius would always hesitate at the door when he'd see them fanning over the papers. It was almost like he didn't want to know anymore just yet, like he was still deciding how much he  _ really _ wanted to know about it all.

She could feel someone following her; the realization came to her in an instant. Hermione could hear the click of their shoes on the stone, and panic began to bubble in her chest.

It could be Aurors or something far more dangerous; either way, she couldn't take any chances. She turned down a darker alleyway, one she knew led to a dead end. It felt almost Slytherin the way she was luring this person into the dark, luring them so she could figure out how to handle them.

Severus would've been proud.

Her heart was pounding in her ears, a beat accompanied only by the sounds of two pairs of shoes on the stone street. Hermione focused on every spell she'd ever learned and reminded herself just how  _ capable _ she was. She hadn't survived a war to be killed by a stranger in an alley.

When she was finally facing the brick wall at the end of the alleyway, she spun around with her wand gripped tightly in her hand.

To her surprise, she was met by the smug face of Lucius Malfoy, her old boss.

"Miss Granger."

"Mr. Malfoy."

"I see you're adapting to your new wand quite well." His words were pointed, and the mention of her last day at the Ministry piqued her interest.

She'd heard enough about Lucius from Severus and learned enough from working with him to know that he didn't say a word unless it  _ meant _ something.

He wanted something.

"Yes, I am."

He watched her now, seeming to be weighing his options as to how to proceed.

"How can I help you, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Well, I think it's more about how  _ I  _ can help you."

This was certainly interesting to her now, even if her heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest.

"I'm not sure-"

"Yes, you are."

"Mr.Mal-"

"Call me, Lucius, please." He was smug, and it only served to make Hermione's blood boil hotter.

The interruptions, the creepy way her followed her, and how he seemed to know  _ far _ more than he should. It was all too much this early in the morning. Hermione already knew that Severus would want to know about today, and honestly, she just wanted to be able to tell him. At least Severus and Sirius, and Cokeworth, were safe. Out here in the real world, things felt much sharper and clearer, far more dangerous than they felt within the dark walls of that small house.

"If you need any help-"

"Why would I need help from  _ you _ ?" Hermione snapped back quickly; she just wanted this conversation to be over.

"Did you know that my wife's maiden name was Black?" The change in subject threw her, but the glint in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

_ He knew _ . Hermione wasn't sure how, but he knew, and he was telling  _ her _ . Not the Ministry, not the Aurors, not the Minister for Magic. He was telling  _ her, _ and it wasn't to threaten her; that much was clear.

"Such a small world." Her voice was quiet, so quiet he almost could've missed it.

"It really is," He smiled now, "Miss Granger."

They stood in silence for a few moments, the only sounds filtering down the alley, the soft noises of Diagon Alley waking for the day. Hermione's mind was racing; why was he telling her that he knew what she'd done?

"Why're you telling me this?" Hermione finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She was tired of the Slytherin games; despite their usefulness, she just wanted him to tell her  _ what _ he wanted.

"Should my  _ family _ ever need help, it will be freely given." Lucius refused to drop the pretense, still speaking in riddles. But Hermione understood what he meant.

The Malfoy's would help her if she needed it; if  _ Sirius _ needed it, they would  _ help _ . Hermione was honestly stunned, though she tried not to let it show on her face. Lucius was not a bad ally to have; despite his role in the war, his fortune had ensured his family's continued political influence.

She'd never expected them to put themselves on the line for Sirius or her, but part of it made sense to her. They needed allies as badly as she did, one small slip up from the Malfoy's and Lucius was risking imprisonment in Azkaban. Having a member of the Golden Trio on his side,  _ defending  _ him, would certainly help his case. However, that would only matter if her name was cleared, hence his offer. It was quid-pro-quo at its finest, a truly Slytherin arrangement.

Severus would be livid. Despite his close relationship with Lucius at Hogwarts, he didn't trust the man one bit. He knew what Lucius had done during the war and frequently reminded her of it throughout their conversations. Hermione could almost hear him berating her for everything she'd done this morning.

Being followed, leading Malfoy down a dead-end alley, and actually  _ listening _ to his proposal. Severus would be furious, and Sirius would be skeptical. She knew it all, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she  _ would _ need his help. There was no way they could pull this off alone, whatever  _ this _ was going to be.

"I'm sure that your family is very  _ grateful _ to have that kind of support from you," Hermione said carefully, giving him a pointed look.

The almost animalistic grin that flashed across his face stunned her; he was  _ pleased  _ that she'd acquiesced to his request. He would help her, and then she would be in debt to him.

Typically, the idea of owing  _ anything _ to Lucius Malfoy would've made Hermione's skin crawl. But with the situation she was currently in made it something of a necessity, she tried to push away her unease and focus on how  _ he _ could help  _ her _ .

He only gave her a small nod in parting before he slinked back out of the alley's entrance. Hermione was left alone in the crooked buildings' cold shadows, thinking about how absolutely  _ fucked _ this situation was. She's  _ Hermione Granger _ ; she shouldn't be investigated for using dark magic, for God's sake. She was one of the Golden Trio; she only wanted to  _ help _ people. And yet, she couldn't deny anymore that all of this resulted from her misguided attempts at trying to  _ help _ . She'd messed up so badly, and now she had to fix it. Hermione felt so Slytherin as she plotted in the shadows, knowing she'd have to break the law to save herself.

It surprised her how simple it was for her to make the decision. Standing there in that alley, it became clear to her; she wasn't going to  _ let _ them put her in Azkaban. Her self-preservation instincts, honed throughout her time in the war, kicked into overdrive. They wouldn't  _ allow  _ her to lay down and take whatever punishment the Ministry handed down. She  _ had _ to win, but she knew it would come at a cost.

She shook her head, willing her brain to  _ stop _ for a minute. Ginny and Luna were waiting for her down the street, and she could wait to dissect the whole situation until she got home. Without another thought, she took off back down the street, heading to Puckle's café.


	11. Chapter 11

Neither girl was waiting inside the small café when Hermione arrived. In fact, the lone barista seemed to be still opening the place up and wasn't wholly pleased with the early customer.

"I'm just waiting for someone; take your time," Hermione assured the girl, who quickly disappeared into the back room.

She settled at one of the small tables, her back placed in a corner so she could see both the front door and the door the barista had disappeared through. It was a habit she'd taken up after Harry, Ron, and she were ambushed by Death Eaters in that café at the beginning of the war.

It allowed her to feel a little bit more in control, something she desperately wanted to feel right now.

Lucius Malfoy's words were ringing in her ears, and she couldn't figure out how he'd put the pieces together.

_ Had anyone else figured it out? _

Hermione let out a shuddering breath,  _ no _ . Lucius was her boss; he knew more about her research than anyone]. It made sense for him to figure it out first. And the fact that he told  _ her _ that he knew probably meant he wouldn't tell anyone else.  _ Hopefully _ .

"Do you want to order anything?" The barista's voice made her jump, but she quickly ordered a hot tea. She  _ did not _ need any caffeine while she was already this amped up. Hopefully, the tea would help her calm down a bit before her friends arrived.

Her eyes strayed to the shop windows, watching the quickly waking street. She sipped her hot tea as she watched the wizards and witches hurry past the small café. It made her smile, to see this place almost back to normal, back to how it was before the war tore everything apart. It felt so far away from her life now;  _ she _ was the criminal now instead of the hope-inducing rebel.

She couldn't dwell on how much she'd changed because Luna arrived in the shop, the tinkle of the bells above the door breaking Hermione's reverie.

"Hermione." Luna's light voice brought a smile to her face.

"Luna." Hermione greeted, waving her friend over to the small table.

"How've you been?" Luna asked, and Hermione was grateful for her friend's quiet understanding. Just completely side-stepping the topic of Hermione's absence from the Ministry to act as though nothing was amiss. It was refreshing if Hermione was honest.

"Good," Hermione hesitated; there was so much she couldn't say. "I've been enjoying some time off of work."

"How nice, everyone knows how you've been overworking yourself."

The two slipped into an easy conversation then, discussing everything from Luna's new boyfriend to her plans to expand the Quibbler with Harry and Ginny's help. It felt nice to talk to someone who wasn't Sirius or Severus, someone who wasn't a secret, someone who felt  _ normal _ .

"Rolf was helping my dad catch one of the dirigible plums when-"Luna was cut off by another tinkle of the bells, this time indicating Ginny's arrival.

"Ginny." Hermione tried to make the smile on her face look anything but forced, but it was hard.

She hadn't seen her red-headed friend since their last brunch meeting, which had ended in Hermione storming off. And she knew that Harry  _ had _ to have mentioned something about the investigation into her to Ginny, as much as she wished he hadn't. The look on Ginny's face only confirmed Hermione's suspicions.

"Hermione." Ginny's smile was tight and didn't reach her eyes, but the fact that she even tried made Hermione feel somewhat hopeful. Maybe when this was all over, they could be friends again, like they used to be.

"How've you been?"

"Good, traveling with the Harpies and house-hunting with Harry." Ginny looked everywhere but at Hermione.

"You're not going to live in Grimmauld Place?" It was Luna's turn to break the tension, and Hermione was happy she did. The air was thick since Ginny sat down, the weight of everything unsaid pushing down on the three of them.

"No," Ginny was quiet now, "Harry wanted us to start over somewhere new."

Hermione couldn't begrudge them that. Grimmauld Place was full of memories, both pleasant and painful, and she could only imagine how it made Harry feel.

"Where have you been?" Ginny's voice was quiet, and the subject change startled Hermione.

She was hoping that they could've just ignored the whole thing, but that was too good to be true. Ginny would always be Ginny; headstrong and brash. Even if she was quiet now, Hermione could feel her barely concealed anger and curiosity bubbling beneath the surface.

"I took a break from work."

"I know you're lying, 'Mione."

Hermione just signed into her tea; she wasn't sure what Ginny wanted from her. She couldn't be candid about what had happened, and there would be no answer she could give that would make Ginny anything but angry. She was stuck, well and truly stuck,

"Harry told me you're under investigation."

Hermione stayed silent.

"Under investigation for what?" Luna asked, her relaxed tone sounding so out of place in the tense conversation.

"Dark magic." Ginny was glowering at Hermione now, not even looking at Luna anymore.

"I didn't do anything-"

"That's not what Harry says."

"Well, Harry is  _ wrong _ ." Hermione ground out, surprised at the anger that was surging through her.

She hadn't dwelled on Harry since their fight; she'd tried her best to push it out of her head. But the easy way he abandoned her like he'd forgotten just how  _ much _ she'd done for him throughout the years. All the times she supported him with only the knowledge that she  _ trusted _ him, trust that he now wouldn't even give her. It felt like a betrayal, though she tried to push down the burning tide of anger.

Being angry at Harry and Ron wouldn't solve her problems; it wouldn't get the Ministry off her back. It would only hurt her more, something she couldn't afford right now.

"If you don't believe me, Ginny, I'll leave." Hermione held Ginny's gaze across the table, her mouth pressed into a flat line.

"Hermione, don't-"Luna started.

"Just tell me the truth."

"I don't owe you anything." The easy way the words fell from Hermione's lips startled her. She sounded so unlike herself, so Slytherin in a way.

The fire in Ginny's eyes was all the response that Hermione needed. It was time for her to go; there wasn't anything here for her right now. She couldn't give Ginny the answers she craved, and she wasn't going to sit through her friends' anger when she knew she didn't deserve it. Hermione was tired of putting up a front and pretending; the only place she didn't have to do that was in Cokeworth. The realization surprised her, but it only confirmed her feelings of desperately wanting to be back in that small house. At least there she could breathe again.

Movement outside the window caught all of the girl's attention, their eyes being drawn to the large group of people outside. It only took Hermione a moment to figure out who they were; she recognized a few of them from the Ministry.

_ Aurors _ .

"Hermione-"The anger in Ginny's voice was gone as she turned to her with wide eyes. She looked more concerned than angry, and it gave Hermione hope that maybe their friendship could survive.

The small wooden door creaked open loudly, the bells clanging throughout the shop. Five or six Aurors crowded into the small café, making the room feel claustrophobic and hot.

"Miss Granger." The Auror who spoke she didn't recognize, but he stared her down, nonetheless.

Hermione refused to stand from the table; she didn't want anyone to see how her hands were shaking hidden from view. She'd faced down Bellatrix Lestrange's torture, but the idea of actually being  _ arrested _ sent a jolt of white-hot fear through her body. Hermione had always been a goody-two-shoes, and the reality of her position was  _ terrifying _ .

"What do you want?" Ginny snapped; her anger redirected at the man in front of them.

"We have been ordered to take Miss Granger into Ministry custody." His eyes never left Hermione's, carefully assessing her every movement for a sign of danger.

"Are you  _ fuc- _ "

"Ginny."

Hermione had never felt her heart sink so deep as it did when Ron's voice echoed through the café. If the look on Ginny's face told her anything, then Ginny wasn't expecting it either.

"What the  _ fuck  _ are you doing, Ron?" The words seeped out of Ginny's mouth, soaked in anger.

Despite being the one being arrested, Hermione felt a bit of fear for Ron. He'd have to go home and explain this to everyone, and if Ginny's reaction were anything to go by, then it probably wouldn't go well for him.

"Ginny," Hermione's quiet voice instantly caught her friend's attention, "It's okay."

Hermione stood now, willing her legs and arms not to shake. She didn't want to let any of the Aurors figure out how scared she really was; she needed to look unaffected. If she's supposed to play innocent, she needed to make it look  _ believable _ .

She hung her head as she made her way over the Auror, who held his hand out for her wand. It felt so wrong to part with it, to give it to this stranger as everyone watched her. But Hermione had no other choice, so she complied, but the anger burning in her chest only grew.

She'd done so  _ much _ for this community, for the Wizarding World, and this is how they repaid her? Dragging her down Diagon Alley in handcuffs, making her a spectacle as everyone moved aside and stared at her?

At least Ron had the good sense to look sheepish, to shoot her an apologetic look as they made their way to the apparition point. He must've seen the barely concealed anger behind her eyes, the fire that burned there telling her to do  _ something _ . She knew she couldn't; Hermione knew she had to stay calm and observe.

Severus had taught her well, and she wasn't going to  _ let _ them ruin the life she'd fought so hard for. Hermione wasn't going to rot in Azkaban, that much she knew for sure.

But it would take one step at a time, a chess game where she would have to be ten steps ahead of everyone else.

If anyone could do it, she could.


End file.
